Female armor system

ABSTRACT

A ballistic vest having a front ballistic panel and a rear ballistic panel conformed to the body of a wearer by a stretchable outer garment located over the ballistic panels. The back ballistic panel includes an elongated side portion configured to provide ballistic protection for the side of a female wearer&#39;s breast. The ballistic vest further includes a three-dimensional chest trauma plate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/854,318 filed Oct. 24, 2006.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to protective garments, and more particularly to concealable body armor commonly know as a ballistic vest having improved fit and comfort for women.

Ballistic vests have saved the lives of many law enforcement officers in recent years. As a result, law enforcement agencies have made it mandatory for their officers to wear a ballistic vest while on duty. Ballistic vests have been available in recent years as a protective panel having overlying layers of a fabric made from woven high tensile strength fibers. Woven fabrics from an aramid fiber know as Kevlar, for example, have been used successfully in ballistic vests because of the high energy absorption properties of the fabric material. The material is also reasonably light in weight and flexible, which provides improved comfort when compared with previous vests which were made of metal and were therefore heavier and more rigid. The comfort of a ballistic vest is extremely important, especially to law enforcement officers, because of the heat build-up that occurs from wearing a heavy and inflexible vest for the long hours an officer is on duty. Resistance to projectile penetration is a principle factor in designing a ballistic vest; and added protective layers can offer greater protection against projectiles having the higher threat levels, but added protective layers also adds undesired weight and inflexibility of the vest.

In addition to woven Kevlar fabric layers, ballistic vests have been made from other high strength fibers and composites to reduce weight and improve flexibility of the vest. However, ballistic vests using the lighter, more flexible materials also must offer the required minimum levels of protection against penetration by different types of projectiles. Comfort and fit, although important considerations in the design of concealable ballistic vests, must not outweigh the need to provide complete ballistic protection.

Consequently, there is a need to provide a ballistic vest that is reasonably light in weight, is highly flexible and comfortable, and is also capable of meeting the high performance projectile specifications of, as an example, the National Institute of Justice standards. Providing such a vest at a reasonably low cost for the comparable high performance level is also a desirable objective.

Problems associated with currently available concealable soft body armor ballistic vests that attempt to meet these objectives include the vest not being designed to accommodate different body styles. Consequently, standard design of previously available vests either inadvertently exposed areas of the body or provided an uncomfortable fit for the wearer.

Another drawback from currently available ballistic vest designs is the inability to comfortably fit a female wearer. Pleats and darts which create seams are required to accommodate the bust. Added seams detract from comfort and fit. Variation in anatomy among women also prevent a single vest design from uniformly fitting all women wearers. Notches have been incorporated into the ballistic panel for female wearers to address the problem of accommodating female anatomy as disclosed in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,737. The vest of the '737 patent is marketed by Safari Land Ltd., Inc. under the trade name ZERO G, and is a concealable ballistic vest. Although notches can be varied in size to address the differences in female anatomy amongst wearers, a further need exists for an improved concealable vest design which specifically addresses the specific needs of the female wearer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a ballistic vest of the soft body armor type which has been designed to improve the fit and comfort of the ballistic body armor for women. The present invention provides a soft body armor ballistic vest comprising a plurality of overlying first flexible layers arranged in a stack on strike side of the vest and a plurality of overlying second flexible layers arranged in a stack on a body side of the vest. Preferably, each first flexible layer comprises a thin, flexible, woven fabric layer made of high tensile strength polymeric fibers. The individual woven fabric layers are secured to each other as a unit to form a soft, flexible woven fabric first panel for the vest. Preferably, each second flexible layer comprises a thin, flexible imperforate fiber-reinforced plastic sheet comprising an array of plastic fibers imbedded in a thermal plastic resinous matrix that forms each film sheet. The second layers overlie each other substantially without attachment to one another and as a combination are referred to as a second panel of the vest. The first and second panels are both located in the front and rear of the vest. Although this is a preferred ballistics package, any type and number of ballistic packages which meet any threat level are contemplated for use in the present invention. The vest of the present invention preferably is designed to be concealable, however, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts are equally applicable to ballistic vests which are worn on the outside of the wearer's clothing or uniforms.

The ballistic vest of the present invention incorporates a new and improved carrier which is a stretch garment that is worn over the soft body armor ballistic packages. The garment holds and contours the front and back soft armor panels to the body of the wearer. The garment is attached to the soft armor components. The modular outer garment is designed to pull and shape the soft armor ballistic panels to the body. Better fit improves comfort. Stretchability of the outer garment holds the ballistic panels to the body. A commercially available material known as BreathOPrene can be used for the stretchable outer garment and is moldable and provides the characteristics of wicking, breathability and antimicrobial properties for the ballistic vest. The stretchable outer garment is fastened to the panels by elastic straps having hook and loop fasteners to engage a front and rear portion of the supportive outer garment itself or directly to the ballistic panels. Another commerically available material for the outer garment is a nylon lycra mesh commerically available under the trade name PowerMesh™.

The ballistic vest of the present invention also incorporates an improved shape of the ballistic panels and the carrier for the panels wherein the back ballistic package extends around the sides of the wearer as well as including a side bust portion to protect the side of a woman's bust. A smaller front panel is incorporated to protect the chest, top and front bust and abdomen of the wearer. The shapes of the ballistic panels uses a unique draping angel for the ballistic shapes that avoid forcing the panel into impossible compound curvatures. Using a composite draping angle allows the ballistic panels to conform to the contours of the wearer in a non-static configuration. This design utilizes protection for the side of the bust as a component of the back ballistic panel versus conventional designs which incorporated side protection of the bust with the front ballistic panel. The ballistic vest of the present invention also incorporates a chest trauma plate made of pressed polyethylene, steel or metal alloy that has three-dimensional compound curves designed to fit over female bust shapes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of the supportive garment of the ballistic vest of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the supportive garment of FIG. 1 incorporated into a ballistic vest;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the supportive garment of FIG. 1 incorporated into a ballistic vest;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the ballistic panels of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the ballistic panels of FIG. 4 in combination with a supportive garment; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a trauma plate of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The ballistic vest 10 of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The ballistic vest 10 is a concealable vest of the soft body armor type commonly worn by law enforcement officers. The ballistic vest includes a front panel 12 and a rear panel 14. The front panel 12 protects the chest and stomach of the wearer while the rear panel 14 protects the back and sides of the wearer, as will be discussed in more detail below. The front panel 12 and the rear panel 14 are held in position on the wearer by a stretchable supportive outer garment 16 as also shown in more detail in FIG. 1. The supportive outer garment includes a front section 18 and a rear section 20 wherein the front section 18 is positioned over front panel 12 and the rear section 20 is positioned over the back panel 14 to conform the ballistic panels to the body of the wearer. Alternatively, the stretchable outer garment can be a single piece construction similar to a sports bra.

The front section 18 includes a center portion 22 which would be positioned approximately along the center of the front panel. Side portions 24 and 26 extend laterally away from center section 22 which extend around the sides of the wearer. Shoulder straps 28 and 30 extend upwardly away from center section 22 towards the shoulders of the wearer. Back section 20 of supportive garment 16 also includes a center portion 32 which roughly would be positioned along the center section of the rear panel and side portions 34 and 36 extend laterally away from center portion 32. Side portions 34 and 36 extend around the sides of the wearer for mating with side portions 24 and 26 of front section 18. Shoulder strap portions 38 and 40 extend upwardly away from center portion 32 and extend over the shoulders of the wearer to mate with shoulder sections 28 and 30 of front section 22. Cooperating fasteners, such as hook and loop material, are placed at the ends of each side portions 24 and 26 and 34 and 36 and shoulder portions 28, 30, 38 and 40 for attaching the portions to one another. Although hook and loop fasteners have been identified to attach the front and rear sections of the supportive garment together, other known fasteners are also contemplated by the present invention. Alternatively, the front section and the rear section of the supportive outer garment can have cooperating hook and loop fasteners for engagement with hook and loop fasteners positioned on the front and rear panel of the ballistic packages and therefore be attached directly to the ballistic packages instead of to each other.

The supportive outer garment 16 preferably is made of a stretch nylon, neoprene or other stretchable synthetic material to hold and contour the front ballistic panel and the rear ballistic panel to the body of the wearer. The advantage of the modular outer supportive garment 16 is that it is designed to pull and shape the soft armor panels to the body. Another advantage is that the outer supportive garment can be removed from the ballistic panels prior to laundering thereby extending their useful life. The outer supportive garment creates an external harnessing system which creates a more modular and simple ballistic vest. The removable harness system can be utilized to hold custom fit ballistic packages close to the body creating a more contoured system for an individual wearer.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the present invention also incorporates an improved configuration for the ballistic panels. FIG. 4 illustrates a front ballistic panel 42 and a rear ballistic panel 44. The front panel 42 and the back panel 44 constitute a shape which is derived by draping materials and identifying the best ergonomic way to cover the body without compound contours in the material. This design includes a break point between the panels which follows a line running along the side of the breast and down the side. This is accomplished by the rear panel 44 including side sections 46 and 48 each of which include an elongated top portion or flange, 50 and 52, respectively. As shown in FIG. 5 the side portion 48 extends around the side of the body of the wearer and the elongated top portion 52 covers and protects the side of the breast. The smaller front ballistic panel 42 then protects the top and front of the wearer's breast in addition to the remainder of the abdomen. By utilizing this shape for the front ballistic panel and the rear ballistic panel, the panels which begin in a flat configuration, when placed on the body accommodate the need for compound curves. This design addresses the need for compound curves without thick pleats or cut-out notches or contours in the ballistic packages. This configuration eliminates the added weight and bulk of pleats and provides a total area of coverage which was previously reduced by notches. In addition, this configuration is ideal for ballistic packages used in spike or stab armor which cannot be pleated.

This combination of front and rear ballistic package configuration provides a unique ballistic pattern shape giving optimal shape and coverage with flat, soft, multi-layer armor. The design of the front and rear ballistic packages uses a unique draping angle for the ballistic shapes that avoids forcing the panels into impossible compound curvatures.

When used in combination with the supportive outer garment 54, as shown in FIG. 5, the front 42 and rear panels 44 provide full protection for the wearer including the bust. The supportive outer garment 54 includes top bust control tabs 56 having fasteners which attach to the side portion 48 of back panel 44 to ensure no gap between the front ballistic panel 42 and the rear ballistic panel 44. The side of the vest contours extremely well to the side of the bust with no wrinkles. The front ballistic panel 42 can also actually overlap with the side portion 48 of the rear ballistic panel 44 to provide better protection than any other flat panel design. The smooth edge wraps around the top of the breast to avoid critical pressure points on the sides.

Referring to FIG. 6. the ballistic vest of the present invention also incorporates a chest trauma plate 60 made of pressed polyethylene, steel or metal alloy that has three-dimensional compound curves 62 designed for fit over the female bust shapes. Current designs for chest trauma plates only have unidirectional curvatures and fail to conform to the shape of the bust. Flat or unidirectional curved plates are less comfortable and less covert. The compound curvature of the present invention provides for a more comfortable and concealable trauma plate.

Although the present invention as been shown and illustrated with a preferred embodiment thereof, the invention is not to be so limited since changes and modifications can be made therein which are within the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. 

1. A ballistic vest comprising: a front ballistic panel; a back ballistic panel; and a stretchable outer garment located over the front ballistic panel and the back ballistic panel to conform the front ballistic panel and the back ballistic panel to a body shape of a wearer.
 2. The vest of claim 1, wherein the stretchable outer garment comprises a front section and separate rear section.
 3. The vest of claim 2, wherein the front section and the rear section of the stretchable outer garment includes fasteners to attach the front section and the rear sections together around the front ballistic panel and the back ballistic panel.
 4. The vest of claim 2, wherein the front section of the stretchable outer garment includes at least one fastener to attach the front section to a mating fastener positioned on the back ballistic panel.
 5. The vest of claim 2, wherein the back section of the stretchable outer garment includes at least one fastener to attach to a mating fastener on the front ballistic panel.
 6. The vest of claim 2, wherein each of the front section and the back section of the stretchable outer garment includes shoulder strap sections and side strap sections.
 7. The vest of claim 6, wherein the shoulder strap sections and the side strap sections have cooperating fasteners.
 8. The vest of claim 2, wherein the front section of the stretchable outer garment includes at least one bust control tab having a fastener for connection to a mating fastener on the back ballistic panel.
 9. The vest of claim 7, wherein at least one of the shoulder strap sections or the side strap sections are positioned through an alignment tunnel on the front ballistic panel or the back ballistic panel.
 10. The vest of claim 1, wherein the back ballistic panel includes at least one side portion having a flange for protecting a side of wearer's breast.
 11. The vest of claim 1, further comprising a three-dimensional chest trauma plate.
 12. The vest of claim 11, wherein the chest trauma plate is made of pressed polyethylene, steel or metal alloy.
 13. A ballistic vest comprising: a front ballistic panel; a back ballistic panel, wherein the back ballistic panel includes elongated side portions configured to provide ballistic protection for a side of a female wearer's breast; and an outer garment for securing the front ballistic panel and the back ballistic panel to the wearer.
 14. The vest of claim 13, wherein the outer carrier is a stretchable outer garment comprising a front section and a separate rear section.
 15. The vest of claim 14, wherein the front section and the rear section of the stretchable outer garment includes fasteners to attach the front section and the rear sections together around the front ballistic panel and the back ballistic panel.
 16. The vest of claim 14, wherein the front section includes at least one fastener to attach to a mating fastener on the back ballistic panel.
 17. The vest of claim 14, wherein the back section of the stretchable outer garment includes at least one fastener to attach to a mating fastener on the front ballistic panel.
 18. The vest of claim 14, wherein the front section has a least one bust control tab for connection to a mating fastener on the back ballistic panel.
 19. The vest of claim 14, wherein at least one of the front ballistic panel or the back ballistic panel includes an alignment tunnel for receipt of at least a portion of the stretchable outer garment.
 20. The vest of claim 13, further comprising a three-dimensional chest trauma plate. 